688 PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA, Carissa, 
Tam. Kalaaha, It is also thus called by Europeans on the 
Coromandel coast, 
Beng. Kurumcha, 
A common, large shrub ; or irregularly formed small tree, 
growing in most wild, woody, dry, uncultivated parts. 
Flowering time February, March, and April, Fruit _— in 
July and August. 
Trunk, when it is of age to have one, irregularly bent in 
various directions. Bark gray. Branches and branchlets 
very numerous, always two-forked, and standing nearly at 
right angles, rigid, smooth, and round. Thorns constantly 
in pairs at the divisions of the branches and branchlets, and 
at every other pair of leaves, opposite, horizontal, very 
strong, smooth, and exceedingly sharp ; they are frequently 
forked, Leaves opposite, nearly sessile, oval, obtuse, smooth, 
hard, shining ; their insertions remarkably regular, generally 
one ‘pair below the fork, crossed with the thorns; and ano- 
ther pair between the forks, where there are no spines, » Pe- 
duncles terminal, generally in pairs, each less than an inch 
long, bearing from three to many, beautiful, milk-white, 
Jasmine-like flowers. Bractes, a small one at the insertion 
of each pedicel. Calyx, corol and stamens, as in the genus. 
Germ ovate, two-celled, with four ovula in each, attached to 
the thickened partition. Berry single, (never two, not even 
the rudiment of more than one,) size of a small plumb, but 
of a more lengthened form, when ripe of a shining black, 
two-celled. Seeds four in each cell when all come to matu-— 
rity, which is uncommon; oblong, compressed, concave oD ~ 
the inside, from the centre of the céncavity is the attachment 
to the large fleshy particular margins, thin. Integument 
single. Perisperm conform to the seed, white. Embry 
inverse, “Cotyledons nearly round. Radicle dine su- 
=. 
Obs, This plant makes exceedingly strong cee The 
um Sepia thorns, renders them almost iat ; 
